The DISH
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Volume 7 Issue 39…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…October
1, 2004
Full-Figured Potential:
A Fat Girl's Blues
By Georgia Me
Out of money, looking for a snack
I see Little Debbie's face on a pack.
Smiling, enticing me, inviting me to have a taste
With haste, I race to the destruction of my waist.
As the sugar sets in so does the disgust I feel
Wishing I had the power of will
Hoping someone would kill
This glutinous monster, which rules my eyes
Which is bigger than my stomach
So we fill my belly with pies and cakes
Bi-products, additives and other sh*t
It's hard for me to quit...sweet song, quick hit
My diet includes fried everything all kinds of pork
People ask, if I've been visited by the stork.
See, it's a sin to be fat with children
Or a medical condition
So, it leaves a girl fishing for an excuse
To stop the abuse, I endure everyday in every way.
Through ridicule and personal shame
I won the attention and fame
From a group of young men who hollered,
"Big draws!" as I passed by.
I start to cry...the wind dries my eye
But nothing can heal this scar left on my esteem.
Praying this ordeal is a dream
Better yet a nightmare for it's too hard to bear.
This constant scare as my reality,
A complete disregard for humanity
Now seeing it's humane more like insane
Having no self-control,
She can't even pass up a jellyroll
Now seeing it's beautiful, look at the folds and gut
And cellulite thighs and out-of-shape butt
My scene is strong; she can't go long.
She'll be down before the end of the song.
My personal demons are hard by themselves
Compared to the pigs, elephants and whales.
You might look at me and see lazy and weak
Giving no second thought
That before you an angel may speak
You can't see the beauty besides the pretty face.
You don't see the warmth of my heart,
Which provides a safe place or a home
Where not only love roams for myself, but others
Where the light has not been shown
I realize I am more than a body
I have a spirit and mind
Which through divine knowledge told me,
It's about time to love me for who I am and climb.
Those devils who try to steal my joy
I'm conquering my foes like Helen of Troy
And, with this same spirit,
I'll make the world hear it
Love who you are! Be
the best that you can be!
Your spirit will soar!
The world will see your strength,
Your beauty and your heart.
The ignorance of others won't pierce like a dart.
Let those who worship aesthetic pathetic life
No substance, no feeling self-afflicted strife.
If they can't see the beauty of my soul,
I know I am beautiful in the eyes that God beholds.
Now see, I know at times I'll get knocked down
And doubt my ability.
But, I'll look into the mirror and say
I'm wonderful with humility.
Now, we are supposed to respect everyone
With different choices and hues.
But, who gives a damn about a fat girl's blues?
Harvey Washington Wiley (1844-1930)
Born in Kent,
Indiana on October 18, 1844, Harvey W. Wiley received an A.B. (1867) and A.M.
(1870) from Hanover College. He
received a M.D. from Indiana
Medical College (1871) and B.S. degrees from Harvard (1873) and the University
of Berlin (1878).
Dr. Wiley
taught chemistry at Purdue University (1874 - 1883). During his final two years at Purdue, he served as the state
chemist for Indiana. In 1883, Dr. Wiley
was appointed to lead the Division of Chemistry at the United States Department
of Agriculture. As early as 1867, the
Division of Chemistry had begun to look at changes being made to US
agricultural products.
Dr. Wiley
changed how the government handled food and drug additives. He expanded the division's research
function and promoted the use of chemical analysis in establishing food and
drug safety standards. In 1898, he was
appointed by the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists to head a
committee on food standards. Many states
incorporated into their food safety laws the committee's recommendations.
Dr. Wiley's
efforts to expose harmful food and drug additives and correct US food
adulteration helped capture public attention and spur indignation. While muckraking journalists of the era
wrote about the marketplace hazards awaiting unsuspecting consumers, Dr. Wiley
conducted highly publicized "poison squad" experiments. Using able-bodied volunteers, he studied the
impact on human health of consuming various quantities of questionable
additives.
The alliance
between Dr. Wiley, muckraking journalists, health professionals, women's
organizations and others proved instrumental in passage of the Pure Food and
Drugs Act (1906), which led to the creation of the Food and Drug
Administration, and the Meat Inspection Act, which was passed the same day. Armed with this new legislation, Dr. Wiley
tested preservatives used in food products.
Hs research results prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to appoint a
special commission to investigate the new law's administration.
In 1911,
allegations of irregularities in his department and efforts to have Dr. Wiley
dismissed proved unsuccessful. While he
was exonerated of all charges, Dr. Wiley resigned in 1912. He continued to promote pure food through
his lectures and writing.
He studied
sugar extensively and published The Sugar Industry of the United States
(1885). His other works include
Principles and Practice of Agricultural Analysis, (1894); Foods and Their
Adulteration (1907); Not by Bread Alone (1915); Beverages and Their
Adulterations (1919); The History of a Crime Against the Food Law (1919); and
An Autobiography (1930).
For his
efforts in promoting food analysis, Dr. Wiley is called the "Crusading
Chemist" and "Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act." Dr. Wiley died in Washington, D.C. on June
30, 1930. In 1956, the United States
Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Dr. Wiley's many
contributions to US food and drug safety.
(Sources: Encyclopedia Americana
and http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/)
Sweet Poison: Refined
Sugar
In its
infancy, the sugar industry was closely tied to slavery. The cultivation of sugar cane in hot
climates was labor-intensive. Africans
were imported to slave in the cane fields of the West Indies, Americas and
Caribbean. The raw material was
exported to European refineries to be processed into acceptable products, i.e.,
white crystals and cubes. Raw sugar was
refined in Lisbon, Marseille, Antwerp, Hamburg, Amsterdam and London, the
European capitals that reaped the early wealth produced from the lucrative
trade in humans.
Black Africans
died cultivating sugar cane and, in the process, made white men richer. Today, they are dying from eating its
refined sweet poison, making pretty much the same industry richer. Volumes have been written about the toxic
nature of the sweet stuff. One of the
most often quoted is Sugar Blues by William Dufty. According to Dufty, refined sugar, which is bleached of its
natural vitamins and minerals, affects the human body like any poison. Citing reputable sources, he claims refined
sugar has been reduced to pure refined carbohydrates that the human body cannot
utilize.
More than a
poison, sugar is addictive. Those who
have tried to kick the sugar habit can attest to this assertion. Like any addictive toxin, sugar consumption
leads to an array of negative health consequences. At www.nancyappleton.com, Dr. Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., author of the book Lick The
Sugar Habit lists 124 ailments associated with sugar consumption. These range from obesity, high blood
pressure and diabetes to tooth decay and arthritis. As a group, black Americans suffer disproportionately from these
ailments.
Aspartame Approval
In 1965, G.D.
Searle and Company accidentally discovered aspartylphenylalanine -methyl –ester
(aspartame). Animal tests showed the
artificial sweetener was toxic. This
critical factor did not prevent Searle from acquiring Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approval to market this dangerous substance.
The vast
majority of US citizens labor under the misguided assumption that the FDA and
other federal agencies operate to insure harmful substances are not marketed to
US consumers. To the contrary, as the
history of the FDA's approval of aspartame illustrates, the federal agency too
often sides with product manufacturers to the detriment of the public. The FDA approval of aspartame is one of the
most egregious examples of private sector-government collusion.
The web site www.wnho.net provides a
wealth of information on aspartame. Its
chronology of the FDA approval process should be required reading for anyone
consuming products marketed as diet aids, such as Slim-Fast and diet
drinks. Particular attention should be
paid to the role of political figures from government appointees to Republican
and Democratic elected officials, notably US Representatives and Senators.
A former
congressman, Donald Rumsfeld, the current Secretary of Defense, was hired as
G.D. Searle's President in 1977.
Rumsfeld was brought on board "to handle the aspartame approval
difficulties." Initial attempts to
gain FDA approval for aspartame failed, because the research was poor and there
was enough scientific evidence available to indicate it may not be safe for
human consumption.
G. D. Searle
reapplied for FDA approval after the inauguration of Republican President
Ronald Reagan, the reformer. Calling in
all his markers, Rumsfeld used his considerable Republican Party connections to
obtain the FDA's approval of aspartame.
On July 18,
1981, Republican appointee FDA Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. overruled
the Public Board of Inquiry and ignored the law in approving the artificial sweetener
for use in dry products. On October 15,
1982, G. D. Searle petitioned the FDA for approval to use aspartame in soft
drinks and children's vitamins. Given
the governmental reform climate, G.D. Searle's political campaign contributions
and inside connections, FDA approval was assured.
Aspartame Lawsuits
Joe Bellon v.
NutraSweet Company, et al, filed in mid-September 2004, is the latest lawsuits
against the manufacturer and marketers of products that contain aspartame. Bellon cites research by Dr. John W. Olney
and other respected scientists that identified aspartame as a potential brain
tumor agent. Research, conducted prior
to FDA's approval of the toxic substance, shows it caused brain cancer and
death in research subjects.
Bellon's
lawsuit identifies a number of health problems associated with aspartame from
abdominal pain to psychological disorders.
In liquids, aspartame turns to formaldehyde above freezing. Its negative effects are cumulative; its
poisonous by-products are stored in body fat.
And, animal tests, conducted prior to FDA approval, showed it causes in
vitro mutations.
The defendants
in this legal action knew there were problems with aspartame, which is marketed
as Equal, but concealed its dangers.
Defendants include the American Diabetes Association, which approved the
artificial sweetener for use by diabetes sufferers, Monsanto, Bayer, ConAgra
Foods, Dannon Company, J. M. Smucker Company, Kellogg Company, Wm. Wrigley Jr.
Company, Wyeth, PepsiCo, Conopco, parent of Slim-Fast, and Altria Group, parent
of Kraft Foods.
Disgruntled says: Self-interest lies
behind the trend in fast food factories featuring fat-free foods. Likewise, tort reformers and the push to
appoint strict construction judges have more to do with shielding profit
margins from legitimate lawsuits than preventing frivolous litigation. Food additives, growth hormones used in
livestock feedlots and genetically modified crops all contribute to human health
problems. When people connect the dots
between changes in their food and deteriorating health, there will be serious
consequences.
Disgruntled
feels:
Fear! Since 9-11, the pro-Bush
press has kept the fear factor elevated.
Unpaid bills and a lack of money form a fearsome combination for too
many families. These domestic economic
conditions are fearful and depressing.
This dire situation will not change in the near future, because
companies with plans to hire are outsourcing.
With no rosy economic scenario on the horizon, there are only fears of
failure, famine, homelessness and terrorists-- foreign and domestic.
Disgruntled
wants to know: 9-11
absorbed and dedicated to keeping the "terrorists" fighting abroad,
US citizens supporting the war on terror and the Bush administration's prosecution
of it ignore obvious contradictions.
According to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and international law
scholars, the invasion and occupation of Iraq are illegal actions. Saddam Hussein committed crimes against
humanity; he tortured, raped and killed Iraq citizens. As they await the US promised liberty,
Iraqi citizens are being tortured, raped and murdered. Could their on-going misery be partly
responsible for the growing insurgency?
Schools, Sodas and Snacks
Brightly colored
machines with logos of fast food favorites are like magnets. In schools from Washington State in the
northwest to Florida in the southeast, vending machines offer an array of
snacks and soft drinks to satisfy the palates of a generation hooked on sugar
and fatty foods. As the number
suffering with childhood obesity escalates, school districts in dozens of
states have banned or limited what is sold in their schools' vending machines. Other states are considering some middle
ground between concern for the health of children and recognition of the
growing problem of childhood obesity and the millions of dollars schools reap
from vending machine contracts.
Over the past
three decades, the number of obese children in the United States, much like the
number of fat adults, has grown exponentially.
According to the American Medical Association, obesity is closely linked
to heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. This health problem is so serious that some state governments have
proposed legislation to remove vending machines from schools altogether. Others have limited the types of foods sold
to healthier alternatives, such as nutrition bars, water, milk, fruits, fruit
juices and nuts.
Unfortunately,
some low-calorie snacks and drinks, including nutrition bars and diet colas considered
healthy choices in the past, may actually contain harmful additives, such as
the aspartame. Like California, dozens
of states have banned the sale of soft drinks at elementary and junior high
schools. Depending on the additives in
products approved for sale at these schools, simply banning soft drinks may not
go far enough.
To protect our
children, parents, teachers and the larger community must recognize the problem
and act responsibly. Are there vending
machines at your child's school? What
kinds of snacks are sold? If there are vending
machines at your child's school, actively work to get rid of them. In the meantime, limit the amount of money
your child can spend on snacks. Many
schools provide pre-pay systems for school meals either in-person or
online. Be a health conscious role
model for your child. Exercise and eat
nutritious foods. Get involved! You will make a difference.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes & Telephone Calls
Email www.truthout.com A Travis County grand jury returned 32 indictments in the
2002 Republican fund-raising investigation alleging felony election code violations
against eight corporations and a top aide to US House Majority Leader Tom
DeLay, R-Sugar Land, Texas. DeLay, who
was not indicted, found the political action group. Sears, Cracker Barrel and Bacardi were among the eight
corporations indicted.
Email www.commondreams.org According to an article published in Environmental Science
& Technology, "a wide variety of food in American supermarkets is
contaminated with tiny doses of toxic manmade chemical flame retardants. Samples of grocery stores' fish, pork, duck,
turkey, cheese, butter, milk, chickens, ice cream and eggs were tainted with polybrominated
diphenyl ethers, known as PBDEs, a possible human carcinogen. Animal fat appears to be a big factor. The fatter the foods, the more PBDEs."
Email conehead@hotmail.com On Wednesday, I read that Interstate Bakeries, the maker of
those childhood favorites Hostess Twinkies and white Wonder Bread, filed for
bankruptcy. For years, this company has
paid poor wages and benefits to its workers.
Now, it is going belly-up owing millions in debt. While Interstate has filed for bankruptcy,
you can bet it will continue to operate with fewer low paid employees. Bummer!
Email jackiehu@juno.com If you thought Election 2000 was bad for black and minority
voters, preliminary reports by the Civil Rights Commission and other groups
indicate 2004 is shaping up to be much worse.
Pulling out all the stops, everything that can be done is being done to
block certain voters' access to the polls.
In Ohio, plans are under consideration to toss out most new
registrations. Forces aligned against
blacks voting will employ every legal maneuver and dirty trick in the
book. Better check your registration
and vote!
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